Love Strategy
by Fenix.Dorado
Summary: Annabeth and Percy spend one random afternoon together. It does not go as planned; they receive an unpleasant surprise.
1. Chapter 1

English is my second language, so you may find a few mistakes. This story takes place after "The Last Olympian" but before "The Lost Hero". Like the description says, its about some random evening Annabeth and Percy spend together.

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Lost Hero do not belong to me.

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Chapter One: Getting There

Annabeth was ridiculously excited. She had managed to drag Percy to go with her "somewhere" to show him "something". That was all the information he had and now he barely knew where they were going through in this maze of trees.  
"Wait 'til you see them Percy! They are all beautiful. Each follows the blue prints to detail." Annabeth said panting. She skillfully managed to avoid the trees and choose the path that was easier to go through even though it was dark. Even of walking she made a strategy.

Percy didn't find architecture that interesting. He could not understand why the girl was so obsessed with stone and mortar. Percy was here because she looked beautiful under the moonlight. Percy could not help but imagine how she would look all covered in dust with a pencil in the back of her ear staring at blue prints in deep thought. A tree branch slapped him hard in the face, diverting him from his thoughts.

"And where exactly is this place at? Are we supposed to walk all across camp to find it?" Percy inquired annoyed at the excess of green that surrounded him. He was getting of a canoe when Annabeth came running to him. Her blond hair flapping around like a school of golden fish with no direction. She was blabbing about her new project, how the reconstruction of Olympus was going exactly as she planned it thanks to the help of the Hephaestus children. Percy thought she should visit a shrink or something; she had some serious OCD symptoms going on there. He hid a sheepish laugh. He was hypnotized with those grey eyes that reminded him of the ocean on a cloudy day.

"It's just a few more minutes of walk Percy. Remember that this place was given to me by the Hephaestus cabin. I didn't exactly have a choice of location." Annabeth looked at Percy for a moment and smiled. The poor guy was a mess of dirt and leaves.

"You know Percy, dear; it's easier if you don't avoid them." She said this and went back to her walking. She now closed the gap that Percy had left by lagging behind.

"Easy for you to say" Percy answered, giving up his efforts at avoiding the branches.

The moon was full and bright in the sky above. The forest seemed to be alive. Percy could hear the restlessness of the wind against the leaves of the trees. This was only a small part of what nature really was. Percy could start to understand why Grover felt so connected to it. The earth had something ancient and magical that was so alluring yet mysterious.

What Percy liked the most about the full moon was the effect it had on the tides. Even from where he was he could feel the ocean wild. As if each tide was trying to reach the sky. The sea and the moon had this peculiar relationship. The full moon impassive in the sky and the rampant ocean below with no restrains, fighting for what is truly his; that silver disk in the firmament. Sort of like Percy and Annabeth. She, in her brightest and him impassioned trying to reach her, to understand why she made him feel this way.

Percy trips and barely manages to find his balance. Annoyed he utters "Seriously, Annabeth why are you- his sentence was interrupted by colliding with Annabeth who had come to a halt.

"OUCH! Watch it seaweed brain." Annabeth's insult held no meaning recently. Now it was like a code between them. It was Annabeth's way of letting Percy know that they had gone through a lot. That he could be a great hero to the world, but for her, he was the boy who had come to camp with a Minotaur horn in his hand full of questions and eager to find his answers.

Percy took advantage of the situation and slid his arms around Annabeth's waist. She was so small. She lifted her arms to give room to his and slowly tilted her head to the side. Percy accepted the invitation and kissed her softly on her neck.

"We are here" Annabeth said slowly walking away from Percy's embrace. He was about to utter something to complain but he was awe stricken when he saw the building.

The place was enormous. A plane could fit easily inside it. But that was not what caught Percy's attention. The building looked like the Greek Parthenon but with steroids. The first thing that you noticed was the steps. They went from one end of the building to the other. Eight magnificent pillars were holding the roof. Even though the building was rectangular it had a dome in the middle. The doors weren't small either. They went from the top of the building to the floor. Engraved on them was an owl, the symbol of Athena. Percy was lagging behind again, but this time he was admiring the hugeness of the place.

"Annabeth this is-" Percy was out of words. He wasn't a fan of architecture but the mere fact that Annabeth had designed all of this made him feel so proud of her.

"Wait 'til you take a look inside." Annabeth replied with no trace of humbleness in her voice.


	2. Chapter 2

Here is chapter two!

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Chapter Two: In there

If the outside of the building left Percy speechless the inside had caused him a small seizure.

There was so much inside the room that it was hard for Percy to focus on one thing at a time. His ADHD wasn't helping either. The dome that Percy saw from the outside was transparent, made of some sort of crystal that he was too lazy to identify. The moonlight glimmered through the ceiling giving the place a majestic touch.

"Annabeth this- this place is..." Percy stammered, smiling.

The place was full of small altars for the gods. Each one had a statue and something that represented each god. Percy eyed Aphrodite's altar. Actually it was hard to miss, since it had a pink loveseat with furry pillows of every pastel color that existed on earth. The statue of the goddess represented her magnificent elegance. It was made out of the same crystal from the roof, accentuating the beauty of the goddess. Percy would have stayed all night staring at its delicacy if it weren t for Annabeth's playful smack behind his head with her open palm.

"Ouch! What? I think Aphrodite will love her altar". Percy said trying to appease Annabeth. She just smiled and kept walking.

"Annabeth this- this place is amazing!" Percy could hardly find words to describe the beauty and complexity of the place.

"Come. Here is what I wanted to show you". Annabeth murmured tilting her head in the direction she wanted Percy to walk in.

He did. He stared at Annabeth's back. Yeah, architecture was cool and all but her features were beyond any design or beauty ever imagined by men. It was like watching 3D in a 2D world. Percy tried hard to concentrate in statues, metal, dust, loveseats... It wasn t working.

"This one is for Poseidon," Annabeth explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "I think you should take a look at it before I make anything official." The altar had Poseidon's statue. It resembled all those paintings you see of him everywhere but without the trident and without the lame face many statues had. It was made of a crystal that glowed green, like the ocean. To the side of the statue, there was a fountain. It had a wall decorated with corals and water descended from it splashing in a series of containers that went from the smallest one at the top to a larger container at floor level. There were seashells, starfishes and sea horses of stone embedded to the fountain. Inside the pool, Percy could see fishes of many colors. But what Percy liked the most was the sound of the water falling and rushing through the different levels that the fountain had. It was pleasant, soothing.

Annabeth was staring at Percy. At the beginning she was looking for any sign of discontent or dislike towards her creation. She had spent a lot of time and effort in this specific design knowing that it was for Percy's father. It was also the first she made so maybe she feared that something was amiss.

Suddenly she was drowning in Percy's sea green eyes. There was something about the dim light that made Percy's eyes look greener than ever. Stunning. She could not help but think of that time when Clarisse and her friends had thrown them into the river. How Percy had embraced her and made the air bubble. She could clearly remember his smile and his soft lips.

She was awoken from her reverie when she saw Percy inside the fountain.

"What. Excaclty. Are. You. Doing?" She spat out in disbelieve.

Percy lifted his head with eyes wide open, just like a kid who had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. He looked at Annabeth who had thrown her arms in the air to emphasize her incredulity. Percy smiled.

"Well, since Aphrodite's altar has a pink loveseat, I think my father's altar should have a throne placed here." Percy was now placing himself in the middle of the fountain. He had managed to control the water current and was now molding the water into what appeared to be a chair or something.

Annabeth's frown slowly changed into a quizzical look. She placed her hand on her chin in a thinking stance. "Don't move." With that she was gone.

"Hey! I know I don't get wet but it is still cold in here you know." He yelled at Annabeth's disappearing figure. He was left alone with the statue of his father and a few fishes nipping what little bare skin he had.

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Hope you like it! Please review. There is definitely more coming and things will get a little complicated for Percy and Annabeth...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: The Sister **

When you have ADHD minutes are like hours, especially if you are left alone with creepy statues staring at you.

Percy was about to drown in the fountain out of boredom when Annabeth was finally back with her laptop. The delta symbol on top of the machine was flashing. The light that emanated from the computer screen was illuminating Annabeth s silhouette, making her look like a true goddess, glowing in the shadows. The frown in her stare could make any fearless mortal think twice about approaching her.

Thank the gods Percy was a demigod.

She was typing fast and talking to herself, slowly approaching Percy. He was still inside the altar.

"OK Percy, I just added your suggestion to the blue prints. I really liked the idea." Annabeth replied, paying more attention to the computer than to the boy.

This was her. The complexity of architecture defined Annabeth; it was part of her personality. Percy liked her a lot for that. He knew it was that fast thinking of hers that saved him during the war against the Titan, but there were times when he wanted her to just relax for a minute. He wanted Annabeth to know that there were amazing things in the world that had nothing to do with architecture. The girl needed to know that the beauty of these things lay in their simplicity.

Simple things like the sound of waves during a hot evening at the beach.

Annabeth turned around for a moment and Percy could see that the image in the background of her computer was some weird compass. She switched down the machine and left it in a corner. She saw that Percy was getting out the fountain. Annabeth expected him to come out dripping wet, trembling from cold; but like always, she could not see a trace of water on him. The boy came closer to her and she found herself smiling and it was not on purpose. Annabeth knew what Percy was about to do now. Being the daughter of Athena, she was an expert analyzing people, patterns and developing strategy.

At the beginning she hated the feeling. Annabeth could hardly find anything that she was not able to decipher, until Percy came to her life. This boy made her have a cluster of emotions that she could not identify. Not being able to identify them she could not fight them, she could not find a solution, everything was clouded The daughter of Athena was confused, what a shame.

She discovered that she was spending a lot of time avoiding and rejecting what she felt. Eventually Annabeth found a solution. She decided to embrace her feelings. If her heart was telling her to let this boy in, why not let him? Little by little she was letting go. Annabeth was slowly giving hints to Percy of what she was feeling. Although she was sure he did not understood half of them, with all that kelp going on inside his skull. To her surprise, it worked. It was strange and she could barely remember how and when it all exactly came to be, but they had a relationship.

Yes, she knew that Percy was about to kiss her. No, she did not only bring him here to see the altar. He was very close to her now and his scent was like sea salt water. She felt Percy s arms around her waist. She shifted in place so that they were perfectly intertwined together. With a tilt of her head she was in position to receive the boy's kiss.

The sound of hissing made Percy and Annabeth separate from their embrace and get into a fighting stance.

"Did you hear that?" Annabeth inquired, her brain working at a hundred miles per hour thanks to the demigod reflexes.

"Course I did. Any weapons in your amazing bunker of wonders?" Percy replied unconsciously putting himself in front of Annabeth to protect her.

"Well duh. But we don t know what it is or what it wants. We don t even know if it's real. And besides, don't you have Riptide appearing magically in your pocket?" Annabeth suggested.

They heard the hissing again, this time followed by an evil high pitched laugh.

Great, a monster with a comedian complex, just what Percy needed.

"_Insulting the temples, are we now?_" They could hear the voice in one place and the hissing in another. The thing was moving fast. Percy uncapped Riptide and took a step closer to Annabeth.

"It can t be," she whispered "we killed her."

"Care to share the info, babe?"

"Don't call me babe!" Annabeth snapped.

"_You should be punished! You will pay for what your parents did to my sister._" the monster hissed.

Percy was lost, his adrenaline flowing through his body and his senses sharper than ever. How did Annabeth managed to make sense of things so fast?

"Who are you?" The boy taunted strengthening his grip on Riptide.

"_I am Euryale one of the Gorgon Sisters and I will avenge the death of my sister Medusa._"

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This chapter was hard to complete. I wanted so many things to happen. In the end only one managed to be published and I am happy with the outcome.

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Finally! This one is rather short but hopefully the next one will be up very soon. Enjoy!

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The Encounter

Percy takes a step forward after hearing Euryale s roar. Gods, he hated monsters, but apparently he was a huge sugar cube labeled Greek Monster s Bait . He knew that monsters never really died but why couldn t they stay in Tartarus a bit longer? A life time would be enough Maybe two.

A huge bang awoke Percy from his reverie, his automatic response was:

"Annabeth put the cap on, please."

He had to trust on his battle instincts. Will Euryale be able to convert people into statues by looking at them like her sister did? Percy had no idea. Fighting with his eyes closed was never his favorite thing to do. A thought crossed his mind.

Without hesitation, Percy lifted his left hand and with his entire mind power commanded the water in the fountain.

_Move_

Seconds later, an invisible Annabeth was complaining on being completely soaked in salty water. Percy could now not only hear the gorgon but he could also feel were she was thanks to all the water on the floor. He could also keep track of Annabeth s whereabouts even though she had her hat on.

_"Hahahaha! Smart, smart boy. But that won't be enough to defeat me!"_The gorgon screeched completely giving her location away.

Without hesitation Percy charged. Anaklusmos was tightly held in his hand and the moon shining bright, showing him the way. He could feel the monster closer but it was still hidden in the shadows. Percy stopped dead on his tracks when he heard Annabeth whistle.

"Here, here Euryale. It was my mom who punished your sister so why not have me instead of the boy?"

Percy cursed as he heard the evil laugh again. A cold rush of air passed by letting him know that the gorgon was rapidly approaching Annabeth who was the easiest target. His heart sank and he could feel the weak spot on his back burning.

"Women and their superiority complex." he mumbled running towards them.

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So now Percy is furious and we will see him fighting for real. Or will it be Annabeth who saves the day? Hmmm... I'll let you know soon enough.

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Percy Jackson in any way!

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**The Altar**

There was only one feeling in the world that Annabeth could not bear and it was helplessness. After Luke and Thalia found her roaming the streets a long time ago she swore to herself to never feel like this again. Of course that having a boyfriend with a lot of guts and a brain full of kelp didn't help. Always trusting his battle instincts before developing a strategy. Too much of the element of surprise for Annabeth's taste.  
She whistled and antagonized the creature because she already had a plan developed. According to legend, the only gorgon with the ability to turn people into stone was Medusa because she was cursed. But Greek monsters weren't supposed to exist, much less live in the USA. So, just in case, Annabeth decided that not even a peek was safe with the monster.  
Annabeth was hearing Euryale getting closer and with a swift movement she removed her cap, turning visible. She started heading to Ares' altar, which was packed with all sorts of weapons. She finally reached the altar and immediately heard a blast. She turns and rocks fall all over the place. She loses her balance and falls chin first to the floor.  
"Annabeth!" She hears Percy calling from the distance. She lifts her head and sees Euryale's reflection on a shield on the floor. The monster had crashed against one of the stone pillars, shattering it, all pieces now falling all over the place. Luckily Annabeth had designed the building to be earthquake safe. She had taken the precaution because her boyfriend was the son of Poseidon, Lord of the Seas and Earthquakes. There was the possibility that Percy would bring the floor apart in one of his tantrums. So, just in case, there were columns supporting all the ceiling.

_GRRRRAAARRRR_

Annabeth's cap was nowhere to be seen. Her plan had failed. Now she was improvising. There was probably kelp growing out of her ears.

"I hate this!" she grunted reaching the shield with one hand and a sword with the other. She ran to the wall holding the shield backwards. The stupid thing weighted a ton and slowed her pace. She could see Euryale in it, running after her. She made rapid calculations. Height, distance and speed. When the monster was close enough, she reached the wall and with all her strength she kicked it. The kick gave her the impulse to do a back flip and with the sword she cut Euryale's head off.

When Percy got to where Annabeth was he was only able to hear a loud screech.

"Annabeth!" He called again in despair. He ran even faster and finally saw Annabeth kneeling by a mountain of green, bubbling goo. He reached for her, she was panting.

"Annabeth are you all right?" He asked putting Riptide away.

"Yes." Annabeth answered with a tired smile.

"Why didn't you let me deal with the monster? I was handling it just fine." Percy said helping Annabeth up.

"Well, I wanted the battle practice, Perce." She answered, her smile widening. She knew Percy wouldn't believe her. She also knew that he was smart enough to not pursue the topic. It was complicated. She sometimes had the urge to run and safe him, getting him away from harm. She saw her cap among the rubble and reached for it.

"We should go. This place creeps me out." Retorted Percy, carefully avoiding Euryale's goo.

"It just Ares' altar." Annabeth gaze was fixed in the mess of stones. She now had to reconstruct that column again. This would hold her projects back a few weeks, messing up her schedule.

"Yeah, I figured. With all the weapons and stuff. Handy." Percy shrugged. They both laughed and walked to camp holding hands all the way. They didn't notice how the goo slowly vanished to the depths of Tartarus where Euryale was reforming, faster than usual.

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Thank you all for your patiance, for your reviews, for adding my story to your favorites and alerts. I enjoyed this journey with Percy, Annabeth and all of you. Check out Rick Riordan's website to read the first chapter of the new book: The Sun of Neptune. Guess who Percy has to fight?

Please review!


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